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NewsDay

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Let’s closely monitor our kids, if we care

Editorials
Drug Abuse

CONCERNED parents and guardians of pupils at Cherutombo High School in Marondera town have raised alarm over sex scandals that continue to dog the school.

We hear that some uncouth pupils have now become so lawless that they are producing pornographic material of themselves and are busy selling it at the school for US$5 as well as posting the lurid stuff on social media platforms.

We also understand that this has been happening for quite some time now which has prompted the parents and guardians to protest and approach government and other stakeholders to try and bring sanity to the school they fear is fast turning into a brothel where the apparently perpetually drunk pupils — who are also said to be avid users of drugs — keep doing as they please.

It is curious that these shenanigans have gone unchecked this long and the police appear inactive — besides conducting drug abuse awareness campaigns — that they are hoping that one day someone will saunter into their offices and give them information on those supplying drugs to the pupils. This will never happen.

We are sure the rogues are well known at the school and it should take one visit to the school by the police to pick up the culprits and pick up their parents at home and take them to the police station to get to the bottom of this matter once and for all because the scourge could soon permeate the entire town of Marondera and eventually other schools across the country.

Maybe the problem has already spread given that drug abuse among Zimbabwean youths is now a serious challenge with around half of the country’s youths said to be abusing them and alcohol in one way or the other.

The pupils, who are abusing drugs and shooting pornographic videos at the school, know their suppliers and a little interrogation by the police will smoke out the culprits in no time.

Kudos though to the police for appealing to parents and guardians to closely monitor their children, which we believe is where the whole problem is emanating from.

Parents and guardians are so busy nowadays trying to make ends meet that they hardly monitor their children, resulting in them indulging in untoward behaviour.

Drug abuse has become one of Zimbabwe’s worst nightmares with intoxicated pupils now being involved in pornographic video scandals which should gulvanise the nation at large into action.

In fact — because this is not the first time we have heard of schoolchildren getting involved in drug and alcohol abuse — if the nation is serious about stemming drug and alcohol abuse in schools, which is now driving children into even crazy things like filming themselves during sex orgies, Cherutombo High School should be made an example for other schools that this kind of behaviour has no place in Zimbabwe.

A stich in time will serve the country from real anarchy at all our schools and Cherutombo High School is where we should deal with this problem decisively before it proliferates. And, meanwhile, all parents and guardians across the country should closely monitor their children if they care about their children and the country’s future.

 

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